Thread by @kixes

1/ This @straits_times headline and graphic is so thoughtless and frames this issue in such a damaging way.

Throughout the article, it's made clear that these transnational families are more financially disadvantaged than families where both parents are citizens, which leads to particular stressors and challenges. This is a class issue, not a nationality issue.

It really isn't about "the mother's origins", but about income levels and marginalisation. The professor makes this point, but it's lower down in the article and, with that headline + graphic, too little too late.

Responses to the study focus on parenting styles and suggests that there should be counselling/courses made available for families with a foreign wife/mother.

But the article makes no mention of *why* such transnational families face financial stressors and other issues.

Foreign spouses aren't eligible for government schemes, since they're not citizens. During #Covid19, they've not been able to access support, even though their income goes towards supporting their Singaporean families.

https://twitter.com/kixes/status/1360778538459099137?s=20

Think of all the "pro-family" schemes that we have that are only open to Singaporean citizens. Transnational families are not eligible for a lot of the support and subsidies that Singaporean families enjoy. This is real dollars and cents stuff for a lot of people.

The transnational families discussed in the article aren't your highly educated, highly mobile expat families. We don't hand-wring about the behavioural issues of their kids. These are working class people who fell in love and married across borders and nationalities.

(Am aware I started this thread with a number and then totally forgot to number the rest, but I can't be bothered to redo this whole thing. Please let us edit tweets, @Twitter!)

Threading this here:

https://twitter.com/acertainjolene/status/1244418496131301376